I've been on a Fair Isle crochet kick lately, and I decided to try something more muted and a little bit....spooky. A friend of mine is a lover of bats, creepy things, magical things, and creatures of the night. She also prefers neutrals and darker colors. So, the Nocturnal Creatures Bag was born! It's the… Continue reading Nocturnal Creatures Tote Bag Pattern
Fair Isle patterns aren't just for cold weather anymore. As the tiniest hints of spring were showing this month, I was scurrying like a chipmunk to finish this cozy, bright, and colorful pillow pattern. It's created with one of my favorite knit-look crochet techniques: waistcoat stitch and tapestry-style colorwork. And it's easier than you probably think it is! You… Continue reading Cheery Fair Isle Pillow Pattern
This week I started watching Abstract: The Art of Design. I'm not the most talented TV review writer, so I'm not going to bother describing to you how good it is. It's really good. The first episode features illustrator and New Yorker cover-designer Christopher Niemann working in his minimalist studio, with a bucket of primary-colored… Continue reading Be a careless artist and a ruthless editor
I'm a sucker for holidays. I don't necessarily enjoy the taint of modern consumerism, but I do love food, making things, and celebrating seasons. I enjoy the connection that many of our Western, Christian-ish holidays have to the pagan traditions of Europe, the marking of the passing of time, and the opportunity to break out of… Continue reading Valentine’s Day reimagined: compassion, kindness, and non-complementary behavior
My long-awaited jelly-bean colored, crocheted afghan has been completed. I haven't decided what to call it yet, but here are some possibilities. What do you think? "Jelly Bean Blanket" "The Taking-it-One-Row-at-a-Time Afghan" "Heavy Snuggles Blanket" "Fruitful Afghan" ??? Something about the colors makes me think of exotic fruits. I'm a big fan of fruit. This… Continue reading Taking it One Row at a Time: A New Afghan
I recently cooked some egg in a pan and put it in a sushi roll. I did this because the only other thing in the sushi roll was carrots, and that didn't seem like the most nutritionally complete meal. This is, in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. But, when you're… Continue reading You can put anything into a sushi roll
Sometimes, when my health is swinging in the upward direction, I get a little project-crazy. I've had these bursts of creative brain juice since I was young and crayons/walls were my primary medium, but it's different with CFS. It reminds me of a classic Mitch Hedberg joke: It's as if the fatigue and brain fog are… Continue reading Ideas, the creative process, and a new crochet stitch[?]
